Reid Detmers struggles, giving up three home runs in Angels’ loss to Guardians
CLEVELAND — Bo Naylor hit his first grand slam, Austin Hedges had his first homer since June 14, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Angels 7-1 on Saturday night.
Naylor’s two-out blast to right in the sixth inning came off Angels starter Reid Detmers (3-3), who had loaded the bases on three walks.
“Anytime I’m out there, I’m ready to play and this was a great opportunity to help the Guardians win,” Naylor said. “This team is really resilient and we take everything super serious.”
The four RBIs were a career high for the third-year catcher.
“I just didn’t execute, the pitch was right in his honey hole,” Detmers said. “It’s frustrating, but that’s baseball. We’re going to get over it. We’re going to get past it.”
José Soriano shined, pitching six scoreless innings to earn his first win as a starting pitcher in the Angels’ 6-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Hedges, batting .111 on the season, hit a two-run homer in the second. Ramón Laureano added a solo shot in the fourth for the Guardians, who have the second-best record in the American League at 21-12.
Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan, who leads the AL with a .353 batting average, exited after the third inning because of left hamstring tightness. He walked with a pronounced limp following the game.
Ben Lively (1-1) went six innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out five. The right-hander ended a nine-start winless streak that included four losses since beating Kansas City on June 14.
“Ben has been great for us,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He attacks with all of his pitches and is not afraid.”
The Angels trimmed their deficit to 3-1 in the fifth on Zach Neto’s single that plated Jo Adell, but Ehire Adrianza flew out with the bases loaded to end the threat. Neto and Adell both had stolen bases in the inning.
The Angels have not won consecutive games — or a series — in Cleveland since 2013, losing 24 of their last 27 at Progressive Field. The Angels beat the Guardians 6-0 in the three-game series opener.
Detmers, a left-hander, gave up season highs of seven runs and three homers in 5-2/3 innings.
“Reid was competing, but he left a pitch over the plate to a left-hander [Naylor],” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “In my wildest dreams, I would have never thought that would happen.”
Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are back on the injured list, and with Shohei Ohtani a Dodger, the Angels are giving young players a chance to establish themselves.
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe was removed in the fifth because of a right hand contusion but planned to be back in the lineup Monday.
Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor, mired in a four-for-33 slump, was given the night off.
Note: Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo was held out of the lineup because of a high fever after falling ill Friday. Rengifo had the fourth-highest batting average in the AL at .330 and was tied for second with nine stolen bases.
Up next: Angels right-hander Griffin Canning (1-3, 7.45 ERA) faces Guardians right-hander Carlos Carrasco (1-2, 6.59 ERA) in the series finale Sunday.
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